On the 29th of September, the NAC arrived to support the Motswako Arts Institute MADCAMP Festival at the historically acclaimed Wilberforce College.
MADCAMP, a PESP supported initiative, showcased six new theatre productions. The productions were created during a three-week workshop period, prior to the MADCAMP festival. The production comprised of a multitude of disciplines including Dance, Music, Poetry performances and Film.
The project not only stimulated audience development in the extended Sedibeng Municipality but brought together some of the key practitioners of the arts in Sedibeng. One of the patrons of the production was veteran arts activist and seasoned drama & performance practitioner, Gamakhulu Diniso. Diniso has been previously supported by the NAC for the development of a skills development project in the Vaal – Diniso Art Productions.
The many patrons that comprised of the best in creative talent that the Vaal has to offer gained a formidable platform to engage about arts and arts development within their communities.
While there were a significant amount of lamentations about support from the public and private sector, and limited access to creative spaces in the Vaal, it was particularly inspiring to understand how organisations such as Motswako Arts Institute are making strides in establishing sustainable platforms for engagement through a memorundum of understanding with Wilberforce College – The Motswako Arts Institute is housed at Wilberforce’s original building which is an important heritage site.
-as explained by Abbey Maeane, Managing Director of the institute about Motswako’s partnership with Wilberforce College.
The National Arts Council is pleased to see and be part of artists taking up spaces of a particular cultural significance and placing them back into public relevance through strategic partnerships.
